04.11.23

Central WA Gets $7M in Federal Grants to Conserve Water for Farmers and Salmon

Bureau of Reclamation awards $4.125M to reduce West Canal water seepage in Grant County; $3M to improve fish passage at Roza Dam near Yakima

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two federal grants announced today by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) aim to reduce the loss of irrigated water and improve salmon fishing opportunities in Central Washington.

The Bureau of Reclamation will fund a $4.125 million grant to help replace a 1,500-foot section of the Columbia River Basin Project's West Canal where irrigation water intended for Grant County farms has been seeping out of the structure. The Bureau originally built the canal between 1946 and 1955. Water from the canal serves the Quincy-Columbia Basin Irrigation District, which supplies water to farmers in Soap Lake, Ephrata, Quincy, George, Royal City, and portions of Moses Lake, Washington.

The Bureau will also fund a $3 million grant to help more fish get through the Roza Dam on the Yakima River. The grant will help build a fish screen to direct fish away from dangerous parts of the dam. Other recent Roza Dam modifications have increased juvenile salmon survival, according to the Bureau. A section of the river downstream of Roza Dam was opened for spring Chinook salmon fishing in 2022 for the first time in several years.

“These grants will reduce water loss from the West Canal, and continue the salmon conservation success story,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Both projects represent smart investments that protect important resources for Central Washington communities.” 

The funding is part of the more than $8 billion for water infrastructure improvements passed as part of the Biden-Harris Infrastructure Law. The funding aims to address historic droughts across the United States and restore aging water and irrigation infrastructure by funding water recycling and reuse projects, desalination projects, rural water projects, dam safety projects, drought remediation, and habitat restoration. The legislation would also boost groundwater storage and conveyance projects, including those championed by Sen. Cantwell like the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan and Odessa Groundwater Replacement Program. It also includes an amendment authored by Sen. Cantwell to create a new program within the Department of the Interior to provide federal financial and technical assistance for groundwater recharge, aquifer storage and recovery, and water source substitution for aquifer protection projects.

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